Frank d



UNITED STATES PATENT Orricn.

FRANK D. POOLEY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

DESK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 510,705, dated December12, 1893.

marked thereon, which form part of this specification.

ThlS invention relates to certain improvements in desks.

- The object ofthe invention is toprovide simple, durable and improvedmeans for automatically operating the lid supports in conjunction withthe lid.

A further object ofthe invention is to provide improved means forautomatically operating the lid supports from the lid which shall-belocated entirely beneath the lid and desk shelf andentirely out of theway, so as not to interfere or ofier any obstructions to the free use ofthe lid and desk shelf.

The invention consists in certain novel features of construction, and incombinations of parts fully described hereinafter and particularlypointed out in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view ofa desk provided with my improvement, the desk lid being shown raised.Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a desk with the lid lowered, the sides ofthe desk being removed to show the connections between the lid and thesliding support.

In the drawings,the reference letter'a, indicates any desk having thedesk shelf or top 19, and the vertically swinging lid or cover 0, at itsinner edge hinged to the front edge of the desk shelf and arranged toswing to the horizontal or open position, or to the upright closedposition against the top of the desk'as shown in Fig. l. 4 Y

d, indicates the sliding supports, on which the lid rests when in thelowered position. These supports slide in suitable ways located beneaththe desk shelf and theymove through openings in the front of the deskand they are preferably located immediately at the inner surfaces of thesides of the desk Application filed April 28,1893. Serial No. 472,172.(No model.)

' pin h, rigid with the upper end of the lever and projecting into avertical slot i, in the support so that when the upper free end of thelever is swung toward the front of the desk the support will be thrownoutwardly and the said pin will move down in the said slot, and when thelever is swung in the opposite direction, the opposite movement will beimparted to the support. This is obvious and clearly illustrated in thedrawings. The lower end of this lever is suitably connected to the lid"by means of the link j, which at its inner end is pivoted to the lowerend of the lever at a point below the pivotal or fulcrum point of thelever. The outer and upper end of said link is pivotally joined to theinner edge of the lid, preferably, by means of a lug 7c having aplatecountersunk in the edge of the lid and secured thereto by screws orthelike, the upper end of the link being pivoted to the outer, end ofthe lug as clearly illustrated. A recess or slot Z, is formed in thefront edge of the desk shelf to receive this lug on the edge of the lidwhen the lid is lowered. The outer end of the link is bent or curvedupwardly as shown, so that when the lid is in a closed position, thelink will curve up around the front edge of the desk shelf to the saidlug as is clearly shown in Fig. 1. It will be observed that when the lidis closed, the upper free end of the lever is thrown back holding thesupport'withdrawn within the desk, and when the lid is lowered the linkwill throw inwardly thelower end of the lever and thereby throw theupper end of the same outwardly and throw out the support beneath thelid. When the lid is raised this operation is reversed as thelower endof the lever is drawn outwardly thereby throwin g the upper end thereofinwardly and draw ing in the support. It will be observed that theoperating connections between the slides and lid are located entirelybeneath the shelf and lid and thereby in no way interfere with the freeuse of the lid or shelf and offer no obstruction whatsoever. There areno slots or grooves formed in the upper surface of the desk to weakenthe shelf or to catch dirt or other articles to prevent the properoperation of the parts where the obstructions are located on the deskshelf or lid. The construction is exceedingly simple,-durable, andcomposed of a minimum number of parts.

It is evident that various changes might be made in the forms,constructions and arrangements of the parts described without departingfrom the spirit and scope of my invention. Hence I do not wish to limitmyself to the exact construction herein set forth, but consider myselfentitled to all such changes as fall within the spirit and scope of myinvention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. A desk having connections from the inner edge of the swinging desklid extending down at the exterior of the desk and then into and beneaththe desk shelf to a sliding support, an intermediate connection betweenthe sliding support and said first mentioned connections located beneaththe desk shelf, as and for the purposes set forth.

2. The combination in a desk, of a desk,

shelf, a vertically movable desk lid, a sliding support arranged beneaththe shelf to support the lid,means substantially as described, arrangedbeneath the shelf to slide said support, and operating connectionslocated. partially at the exterior of the desk approximately below theplane of the shelf and extending beneath the shelf, and pivotallyjoiningthe lid and said means, substantially as described.

3. In a desk, the combination of the shelf, the vertically swinging desklid, the sliding support, vertically swinging levers f ulcrumed betweentheir ends and at their upper ends loosely joined to the support tothrow the same, and links at their inner ends loosely joined to thelower end of said levers and having their outer ends bent upwardly, andpivotally joined to the inner edge of the lid in the manner and for thepurposes set forth.

4. A lid desk havingalid support and provided with an opening throughits front below the lid, and a link loosely joined to the lid at theexterior of the desk and extending through said opening beneath theshelf and connected to said support to operate the same, substantiallyas described.

5. In a desk, the combination of the desk shelf, the swinging lid, thesliding lid support, a vertically swinging lever located beneath saidshelf and controlling the support, and operating connections from thelid extending down at the front of the desk, through the front and underthe shelf to said lever, substantially as described.

6. In a desk, the combination of the swinging lid, the desk shelf, asliding lid support, a stud secured to theinner portion of the lid, alink pivoted thereto at its outer end, said link being bent andextending down at the exterior of the desk and thence through the frontof the desk and connected to operate the support from the lid.

7. In alid desk, the combinationof the sliding lid support, a verticallyswinging lever fulcrumed between its ends and having its upper endarranged to engagethesupport to throw the same in and out andconnections between the lower end of said leverand the lid,substantially as described.

8. A desk having a vertically swinging lid and provided with avertically swinging. lever pivoted in the desk and alink at its outerend pivotally joined to said lid and at its, inner end pivotally joinedto the. lower portion of said lever.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I affix my signaturein presence of two witnesses.

FRANK D. POOLEY.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM F. WAGNER, EDWARD F. POOLEY.

